Upbeat Twins Aim to Maintain Momentum Against Struggling Rangers!
The Minnesota Twins are riding high as they prepare to welcome the Texas Rangers for the start of a seven-game homestand on Friday evening. The Twins are coming off consecutive victories against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a restful day off on Thursday. These wins snapped a seven-game losing streak, lifting the spirits of the team. Carlos Correa expressed the positive atmosphere in the clubhouse, saying, “It’s been great — the energy, the atmosphere in the clubhouse and the dugout. Everybody is supporting each other, everybody is being there for each other.” Correa himself is in good form, having hit two home runs in his last three games, and is currently batting .268 with four homers and 13 RBIs in 32 games this season.
On the other hand, the Rangers are looking to end a rough patch. They have lost four consecutive games and 10 of their last 12. Their latest defeat was a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, who swept the Rangers in a three-game series, outscoring them 21-8. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy faces several challenges, including an overworked bullpen. On Thursday, Bochy had to call on his bullpen in the fourth inning, with Grant Anderson pitching for the second consecutive day. Relievers Jonathan Hernandez and Yerry Rodriguez also saw extensive action on Wednesday, each throwing more than 40 pitches. Bochy acknowledged the Phillies’ strong performance but stressed the need for his team to improve, saying, “They swing the bats. They’re one of the best offensive teams in baseball, and we caught a hot team. It seems like we’re on a bad roll of catching teams when they’re playing really well, but still, you’ve got to play better. We didn’t play our best baseball. We gave them a lot of runs in this series, and we know that. And we’ve got to score runs. It’s going to be up to this offense to come around, hopefully give the pitchers a little cushion.”
The Twins will send right-hander Bailey Ober (4-2, 4.40 ERA) to the mound for his 10th start of the season. Ober has nine walks and 49 strikeouts over 47 innings. He is looking to bounce back after a tough outing against the Cleveland Guardians, where he allowed five runs on eight hits in four innings. This will be Ober’s second career start against the Rangers; in his first, he gave up five runs on five hits in four innings.
The Rangers will counter with right-hander Jose Urena (1-3, 3.29 ERA), who will make his fourth start of the season. Urena has also made 10 appearances out of the bullpen this year. Despite posting back-to-back quality starts, he has no victories to show for it. In his last start, Urena took a no-decision, limiting the Los Angeles Angels to one run on four hits in six innings. In his career against the Twins, Urena is 0-2 with a 7.23 ERA, having given up 15 earned runs on 25 hits in 18 2/3 innings.
As the Twins look to build on their recent success and the Rangers aim to turn their season around, this series promises to be a crucial test for both teams.
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